Where in the world is Dan Malloy?

Critics question what benefit state gets from taxpayer-funded trips

Bill Cummings

Published 1:00 am, Sunday, September 30, 2012

HARTFORD -- Gov. Dannel P. Malloy spent more than $61,000 traveling across the country and the world since taking office less than two years ago, and critics are wondering what the state is getting in return.

Malloy has taken 33 out-of-state trips since being elected in 2010, many more than his predecessor, according to records obtained by Hearst Connecticut Newspapers.

Taxpayers paid $24,533 for the governor's trips, and another $16,726 in travel expenses were reimbursed by nonprofit organizations. A $20,000 trip to China last month is being covered by a state agency funded mostly by federal and state taxpayers.

Malloy has attended a State of the Union address, visited Vice President Joe Biden's residence, met with President Barack Obama at the White House and traveled to Afghanistan, Kuwait and Switzerland.

During a 2011 meeting of the National Governors Association in Salt Lake City, state taxpayers paid $2,243 for Malloy and his wife, Cathy, to share a hotel room during the five-day event. The Malloys' flight cost taxpayers almost $1,600, and the entire trip, which included one staff member, cost $5,433.

Jerry Labriola, the state Republican Party chairman, said the state's "frequent flier" governor may like to travel, but his trips are doing little for the state economy.

"Connecticut has nothing to show for his globetrotting activities," Labriola said. "I find it amazing that he can purport to promote Connecticut around the world while we rank at the bottom of every economic statistic."

"It's a lot of money," said Gary Rose, a political science professor at Sacred Heart University. Rose said Malloy's travel is likely to spark outage among voters struggling to pay their own bills in a stagnant economy. "These are questionable expenditures for dubious results. It's troubling when unemployment is over 9 percent. We have a governor flying around the world. What jobs has he generated?"

Malloy's immediate predecessor, Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell, hardly ever left the state. But many governors travel frequently, and those travels often draw political criticism. Some governors have state airplanes and helicopters at their disposal.

A recent news story reported that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was on the road 54 days during the last eight months. Christie also faced outrage last year for using a state helicopter to attend his son's high school baseball game. Use of the helicopter costs about $2,500 per hour.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, up for re-election this fall, is fighting outrage over reports that his office spent $1.7 million in travel expenses between 2009 and 2011. Nixon has defended the travel as a proper use of taxpayer funds.

Return on investment

Roy Occhiogrosso, Malloy's senior adviser, defended the trips by pointing out that Connecticut has received nearly $1 billion in federal funding since the governor took office. Some of that money, he said, is the result of the one-on-one contacts and relationships Malloy fostered during his trips. Occhiogrosso said the state's "clout" in Washington has diminished since former Sen. Chris Dodd retired. Longtime Sen. Joe Lieberman is leaving office this year.

"If he was taking junkets and not bringing back dollars, then criticism would be fair," Occhiogrosso said. "It's easy to say he's taking a lot of trips, but the return on the investment is the bigger picture."

Malloy recently told Hearst Connecticut Newspapers the state needs to be engaged with China and its growing markets: "We kind of dropped the ball. Connecticut is finally raising its flag in China after a 25-year absence. I made a decision that we had to renew our relationships in China. I don't think we have competed on an equal footing with other states."

Occhiogrosso cited tens of millions of dollars in federal transportation, health care, labor and education grants Connecticut has obtained since Malloy took office and began raising the state's profile. But Occhiogrosso said none of the items are the result of a particular meeting with the governor. He said the point of making contacts with business leaders and government officials is to create relationships in the hope that they later result in positive outcomes.

"I would not say any of this is due to him alone. It's the result of an effort led by the governor and joined by the delegation and advocates," Occhiogrosso said. "Gov. Malloy has been a leading figure and he's aggressive in advocating for the state."

He pointed out that during the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Malloy met officials from Bridgewater Associates, which later agreed to build a new $750 million corporate headquarters in Stamford. He said that meeting didn't result in the project.

"These face-to-face meetings make it easier because there is a personal connection," Occhiogrosso said.

Malloy met with various federal officials during his trips, and nearly half of the events he attended were in Washington, D.C. Still, the Democratic governor's favorite destination was the National Governors Association and the Democratic Governors Association. Malloy attended 11 events hosted by those organizations, nearly one-third of all his trips.

The trip to Afghanistan and Kuwait to greet troops was funded by the U.S military. The UConn Foundation paid $3,629 for Malloy to attend the World Economic Forum in Zurich, Switzerland. Malloy's China trip last month is being covered by the state Department of Economic and Community Development, an agency funded mostly by state and federal taxpayers.

Cathy Malloy traveled with her husband on four trips: One to Salt Lake City, the other three to Washington, D.C., and Virginia. The cost of those trips was paid by taxpayers.

Cathy Malloy, as Connecticut's first lady, is exempt from rules that prohibit state officials from using taxpayer money to pay for flights and lodging for their spouses, according to a spokeswoman with the State Office of Ethics.

The governor sometimes brought one or two staff members when he traveled. Arielle Reich, Malloy's director of governmental affairs and a special assistant, joined him the most. Liz Donohue, a policy director for the governor, attended an NGA meeting in Williamsburg, Va. earlier this year, along with Dan DeSimone, who runs Connecticut's Washington, D.C. office. Mike Smith, who directs constituent services, attended a U.S Department of Energy meeting with the governor in Washington, D.C.

Occhiogrosso said it's common for governors to bring staff. "Every governor brings staff. Usually it's one person, a policy director. First ladies are often there. She's doing her role as well."

Rose, the political science professor, said Malloy may be interested in positioning himself for higher office, maybe vice president in 2016.

"Some of these trips establish foreign credentials," Rose said. "You can couch it in economic development, but you have to wonder what this is about."

Occhiogrosso scoffed at the notion that Malloy is positioning himself for higher office.

"He has absolutely no interest in running for higher office or being appointed to a federal position. He wants to put Connecticut back on the map," said Occhiogrosso. "We have gone from an administration that traveled hardly at all to one that is drawing attention."